This chapter is from the book

This chapter is from the book

No one is going to stampede this initial version of Photoshop Express for its photo uploading and online organizing features.

What's most attractive about Express is its image editing capabilities. You can tap into the same image editing technology used by Photoshop CS3 or Photoshop Elements—but for free. Even if you can't tell a white point from a ballpoint, you can improve your photos dramatically without much work. Or, just have fun with the effects and see what you can create from your pictures.

Enter the Editor

To start editing a photo, you have a few choices. Select a picture and click the Edit Photo button at the bottom of the screen; choose Edit Photo from the Photo Options pop-up menu (Figure 4.1); or, my preference, simply double-click the thumbnail.

Zooming and moving around

Initially, your photo is resized so you can see the whole thing in the editing area. To zoom in, click the Zoom In button in the lower left corner of the window. When you do, a small proxy appears to indicate the picture's visible area (Figure 4.3).

While you're zoomed in, click and drag the visible area frame in the proxy to move around the image.

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You can also just click anywhere in the proxy to reposition the visible area frame. So instead of dragging from one corner to the other when you're zoomed way in, for example, just single-click a corner.

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A faster way to move around is to press and hold the spacebar and drag anywhere in the image (not the proxy). The mouse pointer becomes a hand icon to indicate you can "grab" the image and move it.

Click the Zoom Out button to view more of the image, or click the Zoom to Fit button to see the whole thing again.

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You can't zoom out any further than the zoom to fit amount. The image is either zoomed in or occupies the entire work area.

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When you resize the Web browser window that contains Photoshop Express, the editor resizes the image to best use the available space. If you're zoomed in and resize the browser window, the image is automatically sized to fit.

Return to the library

Click the Back to My Photos button to return to your library at any time (Figure 4.4). If you've made edits, you're asked to save them, discard them, or continue editing.

What's more important for editing photos in Photoshop Express: a fast Internet connection or a computer with a speedy processor? Although Express is an Internet-based service, the answer turns out to be hardware.

When you edit a photo, its data is loaded in the editor. Adjustments you make are processed by the Flash player plug-in in your Web browser, so all the image calculations are handled locally. (If you're editing a photo and unplug your Internet connection, you can still apply adjustments. You won't be able to save them until you're back online, though.)